BD-2/w

rlw

Is this pedal the Tele of the pedal world?

I have bought and sold four so far, and just bought another.  It's a great, do-it-all pedal that is universally loved but does polarise opinion.   Just like Teles.   I want to love this one but we will see.

guitargeek62

Agreed! I stuck with the WH Saucy Box HC+ over it though as they’re tonally v.similar and it fitted on my board a little better, but the BD-2 (Waza or otherwise) really is a brilliantly versatile circuit.

monquixote

I had one ages ago and hated it.

Got another a few years later and totally love it.

roberty

I have a BD-2 but not used it much. Nevertheless I am 2W curious

CaseOfAce

If it's universally loved - how can it polarise opinion? 

Anyway had one - liked it at up to 9 0 clock gain setting for a slight crunch breakup on a clean amp... I've heard others get that fusion type smooth sound out of it  - but I sold it after the wife heard me playing thru it upstairs and screamed at me to stop saying it was awful (though that could have been my playing). 

Rig dependent I guess as always - what guitar and amp are you using with it.?
I've heard a couple of people make them sound ace.

DannyP

The Blues Driver setting is my favourite by far on the OD-200

It makes me wonder whether all I need is a BD, but the OD-200 has TMB tone controls which I fiddle with a lot, so I might miss that on the individual pedal.

noisepolluter

I found it a bit raspy (through clean Princeton) so moved it on quite quickly. I thought the OD3 sounded far better.

ElectricXII

noisepolluter said:

I found it a bit raspy (through clean Princeton) so moved it on quite quickly. I thought the OD3 sounded far better.

I hated my BD-2 through a Fender amp. I don't have any Fender amps any more (5F2a clone doesn't count), but I doubt I'll rush to buy another BD-2. 

If I don't like a pedal first time, that's it. I can't imagine buying, then selling, then buying, then selling, then buying, then selling. the same model. That's more U-turns than a Conservative government.

monquixote

noisepolluter said:

I found it a bit raspy (through clean Princeton) so moved it on quite quickly. I thought the OD3 sounded far better.

I don't love it through a Fender amp. It actually contains a fixed Fender tone stack in the circuitry so I wonder if it is just "too much Fender" when used like that. 

I think the trick is to keep the gain low the tone not excessive and plenty of volume and you get a really lovely boost that's not excessively shouty in the mid range like a lot of overdrives. I do prefer it into a Marshall though.

rlw

It's going into a TMDR again.  I feel that I understand these a bit more now, having experimented with several others, and I hope that we will fall in love forever.

Greatape

As far as blues drivers go, i have to say that the (rather spendy) new Keeley Andy Timmons one sounds much nicer. It sounds like they've dealt with the raspy top end. 

NelsonP

I bought a bd2w recently, brand new, for the same price as a regular bd2. Its great, the custom circuit sounds ace.

Gulliver

I'm potentially going to hi-jack this thread to ask for BD-2 alternatives.  

I'm not a huge fan of the Boss's buffer - and this would be going on my non-switcher pedalboard. That said - the actual BD-2 circuit was great.    The Keeley Muse Driver is excellent - and that's my backup if I don't find a suggestion for a used alternative that isn't ruinously expensive...

Johnnyseven

Gulliver said:

I'm potentially going to hi-jack this thread to ask for BD-2 alternatives.  

I'm not a huge fan of the Boss's buffer - and this would be going on my non-switcher pedalboard. That said - the actual BD-2 circuit was great.    The Keeley Muse Driver is excellent - and that's my backup if I don't find a suggestion for a used alternative that isn't ruinously expensive...

They improved the buffer in the Waza pedals, have you tried the BD2W?

jpttaylor

On the cheaper end of the scale, the TC Electronic Cinders is an exact clone of the BD-2 and has true bypass. Think it costs about £40 new, possibly cheaper if second-hand.

Shipwreck

I've been GAS-ing for a Nobles ODR-1 from some demos and see a similar status being bestowed upon it ; I wonder how they compare 

rlw

I've got both a Mooer Blues Mood and Blues Crab which will be redundant now if anyone wants a BD-2 alternative cheaply.

NelsonP

Shipwreck said:

I've been GAS-ing for a Nobles ODR-1 from some demos and see a similar status being bestowed upon it ; I wonder how they compare 

Very different. The nobels has a lot more bass. The bd2 doesn't cut bass in the way that a tubescreamer or sd1 does, but the nobels seems to add it.

Gulliver

NelsonP said:

Shipwreck said:

I've been GAS-ing for a Nobles ODR-1 from some demos and see a similar status being bestowed upon it ; I wonder how they compare 

Very different. The nobels has a lot more bass. The bd2 doesn't cut bass in the way that a tubescreamer or sd1 does, but the nobels seems to add it.

The new ODR-1s have a Bass cut switch which alleviates a lot of that. now admittedly they put the switch in a stupid place, but it's technically there...

ICBM

A friend of mine had one. He carefully removed the L and the E from the logo, which much improved it.

fretmeister

ICBM said:

A friend of mine had one. He carefully removed the L and the E from the logo, which much improved it.

Bues Drivr?